E3 Wrap-Up
E3 2005 is offically over. Well, media will still be coming in for a few days, but wow, what a show! It may not have been as intense as last years show, but it certainly made up for it in content. Remember, you can check it all out here 4colorrebellion.com/e3.
Follow the link to read my impressions of the show:
Both the Revolution and the Game Boy Micro looked great. Nintendo may not have shown its full hand when it came to the Revolution, but what they did show was awesome. Slick system design, great backwards compatibility, promise of a very strong launch lineup, and cool Wifi fewatures. Plus, I think it was a smart move to keep a bit of the Revolution in the shadows. Not only will it keep people talking and wondering about the system, but it will also give Nintendo a chance to have the spotlight totally on them when they release all the details before years end. Oh, and did I mention that Miyamoto said there may be a new Kid Icarus on the way?
The Game Boy Micro not only looks great, but is sure to sell like hotcakes. Call it what you will, but the GBM is a wonderful idea from a marketing stand point and will also help bring a bit of focus back the the Game Boy line, which has been overshadowed lately.
And of course, how could I talk about E3 without talking about The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess. I have one word; Wow. This game looks so incredible. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the game of the year. Every new bit of info and media released about this game just makes me want it that much more. I am also ecstatic to hear that the game will have a full orchestrated soundtrack! Go Koji!
I was also very impressed with the new titles that Nintendo announced. Mario Tennis Advance, Super Mario Strikers, Touch Golf, and Mario & Luigi 2 DS all looked great and are sure to lighten my wallet. I also came away very excited about games like Battalion Wars, Kirby for the Gamecube and more. There were just so many good things shown at E3.
Luckily, on the DS front, things seem to be heating up. The large lineup of games looks impressive and I am dying to play some Wifi action. Out of all of the consoles, I think the DS had the strongest E3 showing. It was also neat to hear how well the DSpeak, VoIp thing worked. It would be great to be able to chat with people while playing Animal Crossing, Mario Kart or Advance Wars. The only disappointment that I got out of the DS showing is the confirmation that Metroid Prime Hunters will not be Wifi ready. Shame. Guess that leaves room for a sequel.
All in all it was a great show. It was also a lot of fun as far as 4cr is concerned, this being my first coverage of an E3 show. Thanks to everyone who submitted a link or pointed out a story to me. I hope the bare-bones style worked well for all of you, as it certainly made my job a lot easier (not to mention keeping the site clean).
So in the end, being a Nintendo fan is as good as its ever been. About a year ago I started to feel really apathetic about gaming. Everything was the same and I couldnt bear to play another FPS. Thanks to Nintendo my love of gaming is back in full force. Say what you will about their philosophy on gaming these days, but it fits perfectly with my wants and needs. Bringing games back to their core, as opposed to graphical hollywood-esque showboats is just what this industry needs. Innovation and gameplay is king. Couple that with the fact that Nintendo seems to have matured as a company, PR wise and design wise and I just couldnt be happier. Heres to the future.
Nick - May 20th, 2005 - 
Ben on May 20, 2005 at 7:22 pm
Thanks for the superb coverage, you’ve been my main source for all the important (and unimportant news) and you managed to not get too distracted and sweaty with all the NintendoON hype and lies.
VideoGamerJ on May 20, 2005 at 7:23 pm
Well said. Everything looked nice and although the lack of Goemon and Band Brothers was disapointing, seeing games like Electroplankton and Nintendogs shown off was awesome. I am, however, suprised that Nintendo didn’t have solid online release date. I was strongly convinced they would. With only 3 solid WiFi titles, I wonder how 90% of all DS users will go online.
We’ll see. June will be a great month, and next year, hopefully, I’ll attend E3.
Deozaan on May 20, 2005 at 7:48 pm
Metroid Prime Hunters WILL be Wifi capable. It just won’t be online. Be sure not to confuse those two because that’s a very important distinction.
Thores on May 20, 2005 at 8:13 pm
Buuuuh. I guess anything would have been a dissapointment compared to last year, but this year could have been a whole lot better.
Though there were a few pleasant surprises.
Maybe I’ll actually be able to contribute more next year! =P
vocalizer6364 on May 20, 2005 at 8:40 pm
Yeah, I agree as well with you, Nick. My interest in Xbox 360 fizzled big time for reasons I won’t get into, and while PlayStation 3 sounds very promising to me, it’s probably going to cost a whole lotta dough. I guess that leaves only one option on the table.
Even so, I don’t know which is more exciting about Revolution to me. The fact that it will be backwards compatible all the way back to the NES or an online Super Smash Bros. game will launch with the system. Heck, both work out for me. There’s also, of course, the lineup of Nintendo DS games. It’s almost too much to bear… Electroplankton, New Super Mario Bros., Mario & Luigi 2, Mario Kart DS with online play… the list just goes on and on.
It’s kind of a shame that more wasn’t revealed on Revolution, but I’m a patient guy. I can wait… unlike most other people who are already heckling and insulting the Big N in the worst way just because they didn’t come out swinging like those other hardware manufacturers. Sigh… oh well.
SILVERSURFER on May 20, 2005 at 9:45 pm
congratulation guys, great coverage and a very cool site….
M4tt on May 20, 2005 at 9:49 pm
I’m excited about the backwards compatiblity also, I hope a lot of publishers put their games on this service rather than just Nintendo games.
I’m also excited about the online community Nintendo is planning, when they say “mostly consumer driven” you know what that means…we are all going to be addicted to creating and sharing game content as well as being part of the community. This is why Nintendo say 90% of players will be playing online…they are almost going overboard on this whole “internets” fad.
M4tt on May 20, 2005 at 9:53 pm
Oh yeah, their new designs KICK ASS!
Jacob on May 21, 2005 at 2:10 am
Good job on the E3 coverage! I checked this website multiple times daily.
Fladam on May 21, 2005 at 3:12 am
Great job on the coverage… any idea on solid release dates for some of the bigger titles? Nintendogs? Electroplankton? Mario Kart and Animal Crossing?
If memory serves, they did say “before the end of the year for MK:DS. Not sure of the others though..
spin_cycle on May 21, 2005 at 6:05 am
oh man you guys here have been great, your my number one source for everything gaming and especially nintendo, and at E3 you guys outdid yourself, this barebones method gave me a great perspective of what i had seen, what i hadn,t and when i had seen it and it gave me an overall perspective of things that had happened and gave me insight into what could happen, really great job and insightful little monologues along the way that can sometimes bring a tear to my eye, NEVER CHANGE!!!
as for how i see the next console wars, i think it will be nintendo and sony battling it out for the number one spot with microsoft being more of a “niche” player this time round, but all of us here know that with only a graphical and power enhancment on sony’s part, it will be nintendo’s excellent innovation that will bring yet again another era of “playing nintendo”
i said it somewhere here before and ill say it again due to the shere irony that should haunt him till his death, as to quote elijah wood (the recent MTV xbox 360 representative) from back to the future 2 on the subject of gaming:
“you mean you have to use your hands?”
ang1ache1 on May 21, 2005 at 6:46 am
Great job on the coverage this year, 4color folks. This site has served as a great hub to access various flavors of different kinds of articles. Thanks a bunch!
Jhussle on May 21, 2005 at 12:53 pm
I agree with you 100% dogg, 100%.
charynn on May 22, 2005 at 3:38 pm
i’m so impressed nick. your site is exploding. i told the guys at the EB here about your site and they’re stoked. you should try to make a career out of this. e3 coverage was awesome. you’re making me into a hardcore gamer or something.
namor7 on May 23, 2005 at 5:24 am
Awesome coverage, Nick, and a nice recap. It was a very interesting show, and I agree with you–the DS probably had the strongest showing of any system. The bare bones approach made 4cr the PERFECT way to stay on top of the news–no annoying ads, confusing clutter, etc. Right on.